


The Reincarnated Nightmare

by tearsofashlynx



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Parents, Angst, Ash Lynx Loves Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx and Okumura Eiji Go to Japan, Banana Fish Anime Spoilers, Blood and Violence, Domestic Fluff, Except Dino, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gang Violence, Gangs, Gen, Gun Violence, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jealous Ash Lynx, M/M, Murder, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Photographer Okumura Eiji, Protective Ash Lynx, Soft Okumura Eiji, Trust Issues, asheiji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25388482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tearsofashlynx/pseuds/tearsofashlynx
Summary: Ash and Eiji were finally able to move on with their lives months after Golzine's death. Planning to move to Cape Cod and live the rest of their lives by the seaside was more than exciting for the young couple; but more importantly they were leaving the city full of awful memories together, because their souls were intertwined no matter what.However, their plans were cut short by Mei Zhang, a feisty eleven-year-old girl who appeared out from the darkness of the city. Was her presence temporary, or were Ash and Eiji starting a family earlier than anticipated?
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 9
Kudos: 49





	1. Blissful Normalcy

It was an ordinary summer's day in Manhattan, at least for most of the population. The streets were bustling with life, and the merciless sun was showering the city with its bright rays. Ash was holding Eiji's hand to avoid losing him in a sea of people as they made their way to Central Park, where they were planning to meet Shorter and Sing for a light lunch (courtesy of Chang Dai). The pair were moving to Cape Cod within the next few days, so they wished to make the most of the city while they still lived there. 

"Ash, you need to slow down! Your wound-"

"-has been completely healed for two weeks now, you don't need to worry so much." 

Ash appreciated Eiji's concern, it was his caring nature that drew them so close, but he was sounding more like a mother than a boyfriend at this point. He chuckled softly; Ash had suffered from far worse wounds than a little stab to the gut, he survived, and he wasn't planning to quit surviving until he became too old to do so. 

They were already late because of the busy streets, but a sudden phone call ensured that they were _never_ going to reach their destination. Eiji moved to the side, lightly tugging Ash so he'd join him, before pulling his phone from his pocket. "Hm? Shorter, what's wrong?"

✞———————❖———————✞

"You can run all you want, but I ain't lettin' ya go, ya hear me?!" A frightening voice echoed down a quiet alleyway, the malicious message reaching Mei Zhang loud and clear. She had no choice but to keep running. 

"FUCK OFF OLD MAN!" She responded with a tired yell, speeding up before taking a sharp turn to her right. She needed him to think she wasn't giving up, that was all that she could do as she fled.

The meaning of life was a strange question for someone as young as eleven years old to ask, but there Mei was, being chased by a man almost quadruple her age because more men like him wished to exploit her in ways she couldn't even imagine. After all she had done for them, all she had been _forced_ to do for them, she was being used as some kind of present for creeps who liked children. Mei stole for them, she lied for them, hell- she almost _died_ for them- all that and her ending was going to be _this_ pathetic? Not on her watch.

As Mei sprinted through the labyrinth that was New York's dark and twisted alleyways, she began to feel her legs tremble beneath her. She was so close to other people, she could hear life up ahead, but her body was close to giving out and her will to live was beginning to drain from that tired vessel. For as long as she could remember, she wished to be like those people she heard enjoying their day: Mei wanted to hold hands with her parents, skipping through the streets and smiling up at the sun. But the truth was that she would never experience such blissful normalcy.

Mei Zhang was born into a gang and was more than certain to die in the same stinking hell hole. 

Perhaps it was this truth that taught her to never sit still and do as she was told, perhaps the idea that her death was imminent cheered her on as she disobeyed every disgusting adult that tried to control the life that was meant to be her own. If she was going to die anyway, she was going to die knowing that she fought for her freedom, rather than backing down like an obedient dog to its master.

The opening to what appeared to be Chinatown was just a few meters from her. Just a few steps through excruciating pain that tore through her legs and she would finally be able to rest. But Mei's body was giving out rapidly, as fast as her will to live was evaporating under the heat of her situation. 

As soon as she felt the sun on her skin, Mei let her body give out. She was reckless to rely on the public to save her, to shield her even though she was just a stranger who leapt out of the darkness, but she was desperate enough that this was her one and only option. The small girl braced herself for the impact of the pavement, but it never came, and instead darkness engulfed her mid-air, as if she was drowning in it.

"Whoa there, kid! Hey, you alright? Kid?" 

✞———————❖———————✞

Shorter Wong wasn't expecting to be a hero that day. He'd woken up, cooked for a picnic with Ash and Eiji, met up with Sing, and was on his way to Central Park. It wasn't too different to his usual routine, especially after recovering from the damage he took in Golzine's mansion. He was so used to this kind of routine that he didn't expect to be charged by a child, and he barely managed to catch the small body that had been stumbling towards him. In surprise he had spilled the food all over the pavement, even making a mess of Sing's t-shirt. 

"What the hell, Shorter?! Now I need to- huh?" 

When Sing noticed the unconscious girl, his first thought was to find out where she came from. If they wanted to know what caused this, that was where they'd find the answer. Leaning against the opening to the alley stood a middle-aged man who clearly wasn't cut out for this kind of 'field work'. As Shorter tried to wake Mei up, Sing successfully apprehended the man with his famous weapon...

✞———————❖———————✞

"...Flying Dragon Fang! _I_ caught the guy, turns out he's part of the Chinese Mafia. He was disobeyin' orders so Shorter sent some guys to question him and stuff. But _I_ caught him before he could run." Sing recalled the event with so much pride it almost pissed Ash off. He didn't care much about this, certainly not about the strange kid sitting miserably at a table, gingerly sipping at soup as if it may have been poisoned. Somehow, the situation was familiar to him, but he stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued to observe rather than involving himself. All he wanted was a quiet final few days in Manhattan with his best friend and boyfriend, so where the hell did this come from?

In contrast to this, Eiji was more distressed than Mei herself. He didn't understand why someone so delicate and young was being chased by someone much older than her, and why she wasn't out buying ice cream or playing in a park. Ash could tell exactly what he was going to suggest just by glancing at him, Eiji didn't even need to utter a word. 

"No, Eiji, we can't." 

"Oh come on, Ash!" That was Shorter, Eiji didn't even have the chance to speak. "I feel bad it was one of my guys but that only makes Chinatown more dangerous for her! At least in Cape Cod she's less likely to get hurt, right? You get me, right Eiji?"

Eiji nodded quickly, his heart set on taking the girl in. But his conscience wouldn't allow it, not if she had parents looking for her. "Maybe rather than taking her to Cape Cod, we could help her find her parents first? Only if we can't find them, then maybe..." His voice trailed off; he'd never been in such a bizarre situation, so he wasn't entirely sure of how to handle it. All he knew was that he wanted her to be safe, and Chinatown wasn't a safe place. 

"Look," Ash began, leaning against a table. "The kid needs to learn how dangerous these streets are. She probably got herself in some mess and needs to worm her way out of it, it's none of our business." 

Mei, who had remained silent the entire time so she could try to understand who these people were, finally had enough of being spoken about. "First of all, _the kid_ can hear. Secondly, _the kid_ didn't ask for any of this. You don't get it, so stop acting like you do!" The retaliation came out more emotional than intended, but it did the job. At the time, Ash didn't realise that this snappy tone was something he'd be butting heads with her about in the future, and he sighed in response as Mei quietly swore in Mandarin. Shorter peered down at her and gently pat her head, but she swatted his hand away and scowled. 

Sing watched the entire scene unfold. He'd changed his clothes by this point, and quite frankly, he was annoyed that they missed their picnic for the sake of a child they couldn't even treat right. He was older than her, so he decided to step in as the good big brother he was. From what he'd gathered, the girl knew Mandarin and may have even felt more comfortable speaking it, so while Ash and Eiji had a 'minor lovers' quarrel', he walked over to Shorter and Mei. Nadia had also approached them to check if Mei ate enough, which gave Sing an idea. 

"Hey, why don't you go to the back with this big sister and tell her more about yourself?" Sing suggested in Mandarin, before glancing at Nadia with a subtle wink. 

Shorter squatted down to match Mei's seated height, gently taking the barely-touched soup from her to ensure he didn't startle her. "This big sister is nice, don't worry. If she isn't, I'll tell her off." He let his sunglasses slide down his nose a little so Mei could see him wink at her, before pushing them back up again. Mei raised an eyebrow and glanced between the Wong siblings. _Why were they being so nice to her?_

Mei was in two minds about this at first. Her entire run-in with Shorter and Sing was beyond confusing, mainly because she couldn't tell if they were friends or enemies. But seeing how kind they were to her, and how gently they spoke to her, perhaps they were friends after all. Or, they could have been putting on an act because they wanted to exploit her too. There were so many possible ways in which she could be in danger that she didn't want to risk anything. That 'Ash' guy was clearly not fond of her at all, as he treated her harshly compared to everyone else.

_Yet, somehow, this attitude felt more... trustworthy?_


	2. Asserting Dominance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The atmosphere in Chang Dai is more than tense as Mei tries to begin planning her next steps. But keeping an eye on her surroundings and scheming at the same time proves to be harder than Mei thought it would be, and she finds herself more defensive than ever. Meanwhile, Ash struggles to figure the mysterious girl out. Just what does she expect to get out of staying with him? Why is she so intent on getting on Eiji's good side?

Nadia took Mei to what appeared to be a 'staff room' for Chang Dai's employees. The room was empty, but it was neat and organised, which led her to believe there weren't many staff members to begin with. She had already decided that she would remain silent for the time that she was there, only speaking to ask Nadia questions. After all, this woman had no reason to stick her nose into someone else's business. What if she was to use any information on Mei's past to blackmail or trap her?

The atmosphere was awfully awkward. Nadia hadn't expected Mei to start talking straight away, but she wasn't expecting _complete silence_ either. She didn't even know what she was meant to be asking Mei, the decision to talk to her in private was made suddenly and it was made by _Sing_ , so it wasn't even her choice. Nevertheless, she attempted to strike a conversation, which would hopefully end with Mei venting about her past or current situation, that way the group would at least know some context about her before acting further. 

"Is it alright if I speak English, or would you prefer Mandarin? I'm Nadia, and you are?"

"I'd prefer English, I need to learn somehow." Bullshit. Mei knew plenty of English, she didn't need to learn a word. But if she spoke with Nadia in Mandarin, she could have been more likely to open up by accident, which may have been the reasoning behind the question in the first place. Why else would she care about what language they spoke in? Mei was a stranger to Nadia as much as Nadia was to her. Just to make the lie more believable, Mei put on an accent. "Why do you care so much?"

"Why do I care so much?" Nadia was taken aback by the question. She thought the reason was clear, but she explained anyway. "I want you to feel comfortable here, that's all." 

"Not about that," Mei sighed and folded her arms; forget the 'no talking' thing, the girl needed to vent. She went from cowering on the edge of her seat to sitting back, hooking one leg over the other and folding her arms close to her chest. Sure, she was much younger than Nadia, but she could still _try_ to assert dominance in the situation. Now that it was just two of them, this was much easier. "What does saving a little girl do for you, Nadia? You're somehow related to the boss of the Chinese Mafia, yet you work in a dingy restaurant like this. Does he not share money with you?"

Nadia felt more than uncomfortable. She felt as if this seemingly innocent child was crawling right into the core of her brain and extracting every detail about her, only to use it against her. In fact, this sudden change in stance caused Nadia to question her own motives, even though she knew there was no malicious intent behind them. Why would there be? "I don't think you understand-"

"Oh, I _understand_." There was an edge to Mei's voice, as if she was trying to convince Nadia that this was the truth rather than just exposing it. "You want money, right? So you're gonna get close to me because I'm a girl, and then you're gonna sell me to a scary man, right?" The last sentence was spoken with an expression resembling pouting, though this was done in mockery. All Mei had to do was keep her guard up until there was a chance to escape, but right now her body was too exhausted for her to get very far. _Patience was key_. 

"N-No, I really don't intend t-to do that-" The more Nadia spoke, the more she struggled to convince Mei that she was wrong. Why? There was no _evidence_.

She couldn’t just say that she didn’t have bad motives without proving that her intentions were pure. Nadia wasn’t related to her, she’d never met her before, so what was her reason for being so hospitable? “I’m just trying to help you. It’s your choice if you want to take it or not.”

Mei remained silent for a moment, eyeing Nadia up and down as if trying to judge her character from her appearance alone. She seemed somewhat…boring, at least to Mei. Just a simple girl working a simple job; nothing more, nothing less. But then again, one could look at Mei and see her as just a simple schoolgirl enjoying her summer, when in reality she was trying to escape being sold to perverted rich people. Clearly, appearances meant nothing. The girl decided there was nothing left to say, and the silence only continued until there was a knock at the door. It was Shorter.

 _"_ _Hey_ , _is it OK if I come in? Are you girls done?"_

_✞———————❖———————✞_

If it was up to Nadia, Mei guessed that she would be kicked out as soon as possible, right into the arms of her assailants. After all, she'd made it clear that she didn't trust any of them. However, if it was up to Shorter, providing he hadn't heard their prior conversation... perhaps she had a chance. Before Shorter came in, she uncrossed her arms and brought her knees to her chest, hugging them as if she was comforting herself. When Nadia whispered something about her not cooperating, it appeared to be due to nerves, not defiance; at least in Shorter's eyes. Mei rested her head on her lap, she felt upset anyway, at least she could express it.

"I guess we pushed her too soon." Shorter ran a hand through his vibrant mohawk, scratching the back of his head as he tried to figure out what to do next. "Not even a name, huh? We can't help her find anyone without a name. Alright Eiji, you can take her for now. I'm sure she'd appreciate the bed." 

_Find anyone? You can take her?_

Just who exactly was she meant to find, and what did Shorter mean by 'for now'? According to prior conversation, Mei understood that Eiji was the young man with black hair who walked in late and seemed very empathetic. However, like anything, this empathy could have been fake. Regardless of what _it_ was, Mei didn't want anyone to 'take' her. She felt much safer 'saving her own ass', as she'd put it. 

Moments later, Eiji walked in. Ash followed, but he stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched the situation before him unfold carefully. Mei could have sworn that their gazes met for a split second, though she didn’t stare at him long enough to confirm that. Eiji walked over to her, causing her to naturally back away, and almost fall off her chair. _This man was going to ‘take’ her_. Like that man chasing her might of done, or his sick buddy who would have paid for her like she was cattle. _Would she have been better off caught?_ She didn’t think younger people would buy children like this, but perhaps she was just being ignorant.

“No, don’t worry!” Eiji said quickly. Why did he seem more panicked than her? He was the one taking her, not the other way round. “I’m a friend, I’m Eiji.” Eiji held his hand out for her to shake, but she only looked at it nervously. He pulled his hand away and smiled reassuringly, as if telling her she didn’t have to shake it if she felt uncomfortable. But it was just a stupid handshake, why was he being so understanding? _Why wasn’t he mad that she wouldn’t obey him?_

Eiji turning suddenly dragged her out of her thoughts as she carefully focused on every move he made. He noticed this intense focus, but decided not to say anything about it. Eiji understood why she may have felt nervous or afraid, so he had no right to question it. “This is my boyfriend, A-“

“ _Aslan_.” Ash interrupted, pushing himself off of the wall as he locked eyes with Mei. Without breaking eye contact, he moved over so he could get a better view of her facial expressions and body language.

Poor Eiji was incredibly confused, and tried his hardest not to show it. Ash never did anything without a reason behind it, so he wanted to be helpful to his boyfriend by acting as if he’d never done anything in the first place. Unfortunately, Eiji wasn’t able to hide his shock, and Mei noticed it, her quick mind conjuring up ideas as to why Ash’s introduction sparked this reaction. If this ‘Aslan’ was his boyfriend, why was his _name_ surprising, of all things? Surely you’d know the name of someone you were going out with, right?

Meanwhile, Eiji pondered over why Ash’s introduction was so bizarre. Why had Ash introduced himself as Aslan? Barely anyone knew his real name, and he never really used it since he was so used to ‘Ash Lynx’. What difference did it make if this girl knew his real name but not Ash Lynx? Was she somehow related to him or his gang? Dino, perhaps? The possibilities were endless, taking into consideration it could be something Ash had never told Eiji (though he hoped he told him everything, of course).

Amidst all this thinking, the room had fallen into complete silence, and Mei and Ash were practically glaring at each other, leaving the atmosphere in the room unusually heavy. There was a competitive aura between them, Eiji observed, though that was strange considering their age difference and the fact they'd only just met. It was as if there was a silent battle of power between the two, and no one was willing to submit any time soon.

"I'm Shorter!" Shorter exclaimed, breaking the silence. When he realised how loud he'd shouted, he smirked, pointing towards the corner of the room where Sing stood quietly watching. "And that's Sing! What's your name?"

Sing jumped in surprise at the mention of his name, before charging at Shorter. "I can tell her that myself!"

Since they'd all introduced themselves, Mei wasn't surprised by their second attempt at finding out her identity. This time it felt a bit more urgent though, and she didn't understand why they needed to know so bad. "Z," She mumbled. "I'm Z."

Now that everyone had been introduced to her, Mei began working on figuring out who she could 'use' to keep her sheltered for a while. She wanted to stay only because it was safe, and when she was ready to run away, she would leave as fast as she appeared. But if she remained so suspicious, they would not accept her as one of them for the time being. 

Ash, or 'Aslan', was the most suspicious of the group. He frightened her, but also amazed her; it felt as if he was reading into everything she did, exposed her true intentions behind every action or word. In comparison to this, Eiji was completely fooled by Mei. She had him wrapped around her little finger, to bend as she pleased. In fact, she broke out into (fake) tears at that very moment, Ash was unlikely to shift from his place, whereas Eiji would be sent into panic. Based on Shorter's earlier explanation, there was no chance she was staying with him, so she didn't bother reading into his mannerisms too much. Sing was just a child, only a few years older than her, so she didn't see him as a threat at all. 

"Alright, Z, Sing and I will find you something cool to wear, right?" Shorter elbowed Sing lightly, who was about to retaliate until he saw the serious expression Shorter wore. With a grumble, Sing agreed and followed Shorter out. 

"Is that it? We can't find your parents if you don't tell us your real name." Ash was quick to pick up on Mei's lie, quicker than she thought he would be. As soon as Shorter and Sing had left, leaving the three of them alone, he didn't hesitate to expose her. His gaze was intimidating, it almost made her want to spill the truth.

Almost, but not quite.

Clenching one of her fists by her side, Mei concealed her eyes with her other arm. A quiet sniffling sound alerted Eiji, who rushed to comfort her, patting her head before carefully pushing it down to rest on his shoulder. She glanced up at Ash, who was stood behind them, smirking as she continued to sniffle.

_"I'm telling the truth! P-Please, believe me!"_

The desperation in her voice didn't match her expression in the slightest. But this was almost a challenge to Ash: _two can play at that game._

_✞———————❖———————✞_

The next hour or so was _hectic_. Due to Mei's lack of cooperation, Shorter concluded that the idea of finding her parents or guardians was out of the question, and Ash had suggested that she was just another street child, that perhaps she belonged to a gang rather than a family. A runaway, perhaps?

Meanwhile, Eiji was glued to her side as Nadia ran a hand through her long, dark locks. Mei was wearing one of Shorter's hoodies, and it was long enough to be an entire dress on her. It was bright yellow which wasn't a colour she normally wore, but luckily they let her keep her black leggings on. After all, those wouldn't give away her identity so easily. Eiji was acting as emotional support, and while Mei was faking in the beginning, he was starting to really calm her down. Suddenly she didn't feel so on edge anymore, as Eiji tried his best to explain every single action they took. 

"Nadia just needs to cut your hair so you're not recognised by whoever was after you, Shorter told us the man hasn't confessed to anything yet so we want to keep you safe, OK?" He peered back at Nadia, who was suggesting a length, and gave her a thumbs-up. She was going to cut Mei's hair so it was close to Eiji's length, a fluffy pixie cut. But damn, that was _a lot_ of hair to chop off. "Hey, Z, we'll match!" 

Mei groaned. Was that meant to be something she wanted? Eiji was smiling from ear-to-ear so, just to be nice, she did the same. Though she had a cold exterior, Mei _did_ have a heart, after all. 

Whilst the hairdressing began, Ash and Shorter were conversing outside. Ash sighed, leaning against the front of the restaurant. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t figure Mei out. He understood that she may have been standoffish because of her background, or because she was just being chased, but he thought she would have been happy with help since she seemed to be in heaps of trouble. Yet she wasn’t even telling the truth, and that smirk- that goddamn smirk- something about this kid reminded him of himself in his rebellious days.

_Damn, what a hassle she was going to be._


	3. Ash's Birthday Special!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a spin-off of sorts for Ash's birthday (12/08/2020)! It doesn't have anything to do with the current storyline so far, though it may give some insight into future relationship dynamics :) I hope you enjoy it, and happy birthday Ash!

"Mei- _chan_! Griffin! Could you help me with this banner? I can't reach-!" Eiji called from the living room of his cosy Cape Cod home, the same home that Ash and Griffin grew up in, which Griffin had been living in alone until months ago. Shorter was visiting for Ash's birthday, and he took Ash to the diner for lunch so the others could decorate the house and bake a cake. 

"Coming~!" Mei replied before Griffin stopped her, laughing. She narrowed her eyes, already aware of why. "What's so funny, Uncle Griff?" 

"No offense, Mei, but you can't even reach the cupboards properly. Leave the banner to me and keep working on this buttercream, OK?"

Mei scowled. Griffin was right, but she was still mad about it because she had no way to prove him wrong. "Fine! But you're not gonna taste _any_ of it because you're- you're too _tall_!"

Griffin faked being hurt by her words. "Oh no, you're gonna take it that far? Have mercy, Mei!" He chuckled and pat her head before disappearing into the living room. Mei was really growing on him, it had been months since they moved in and he felt proud to be her 'uncle' of sorts. She reminded him of Ash when he was younger, perhaps that's what made him so fond of her. 

✞———————❖———————✞

Meanwhile, Mei was trying her absolute hardest to make the most delicious buttercream she could for Ash's cake. She wasn't the best at decorating, she'd leave that part to Griffin, who had far more patience and a steadier hand. Everything needed to be perfect for Ash, it would feel wrong to half-ass it. The small girl tasted some of the finished buttercream as she mixed it, raising an eyebrow at the flavour. Something was off. 

"More sugar..." She mumbled to herself as she grabbed the bag of icing sugar, gently pouring some into the mixing bowl. 

"How's it going in here, chef?" Griffin beamed, slamming the door open in excitement. Mei swore and jumped, fumbling with the bag and causing sugar to spill _everywhere_. "Whoops, let me clean that up for you. And I won't tell Eiji you dropped the f-bomb." Griffin winked. 

"You better clean it up, you did it..." Mei huffed, her cheeks red. She mixed the extra sugar into the buttercream and pouted. "Why'd you do that anyway? You need to calm down, Uncle Griff. I'm the kid here." 

"A boring kid." Griffin smirked as he grabbed the bowl of buttercream from her. By no means were these two professional bakers, and their ability to work together was nothing short of questionable, but somehow they made it work. "Now, I need _silence_. Cake decorating is an art, understand?" As if he really was a professional, Griffin began to cover the cake in buttercream, with Mei watching _very_ closely. 

"No eating it! Not even a bit!" She kept reminding him every few seconds, almost causing him to mess up a couple of times. He sighed and shook his head, fixing the little mistakes the distraction caused. But Mei didn't quite seem to understand that she was throwing himself off his 'cake decorating game', because she continued to watch so closely she could have easily ended up face-first in the cake. 

"Why don't you help Eiji out? He's all alone with a ton of balloons to blow up, poor guy." He smiled reassuringly and pointed at himself with his thumb. "This guy has the cake covered."

Mei was conflicted. She didn't want to leave Griffin alone with her precious buttercream, but she also didn't want to leave Eiji to do all the difficult work alone. It took her a while to decide, much to Griffin's dismay, but eventually she scampered off at the sound of the doorbell. 

"I got it~!" Eiji called out as Mei followed behind him. She gulped as Eiji opened the door. "Jessica, Max! Welcome! Is that Michael hiding behind Max? You've grown taller!" Eiji greeted their guests excitedly. Mei had only ever met Max and Jessica once or twice, so she was wary of them and watched them like a protective puppy. 

"Pee! I need to pee!" Michael suddenly ran away, though he wasn't aware of where the bathroom was. Mei sighed and followed the younger boy, to make sure he knew where he was going, while Eiji offered Max and Jessica refreshments and a bunch of balloons to inflate.

When the kids returned, Jessica's face lit up. "Eiji, she's even cuter in person~! Come, sweetheart. I'll dress you up all pretty for the party." Jessica gently took Mei's hand, while Mei shot a look of fear at Eiji. If Jessica made her wear a dress... she didn't even want to think about it. 

"Wait! Before you go!" Thank God, Eiji was going to save her. "You got buttercream on your nose, silly. How did you manage that? Were you eating it all?" He gently wiped it from her nose and tasted it. "Hm... it's good! Ash will _love_ it! But he'll also love it if Jessica dresses you up, see you!" 

As they walked to her room, Mei turned to face Eiji again, mouthing 'help me' one last time, appearing as if she had been betrayed. Of course, Eiji only chuckled, and Max mouthed back an apology. Defeated, Mei let Jessica take her away, but she would definitely remember how no one even tried to rescue her. "You can't make me wear a dress though, I'd rather _die_."

Jessica laughed at how similar she was to Ash. "Yeah, yeah. No promises, kiddo." 

✞———————❖———————✞

A few hours later, everyone was ready for Ash to arrive. Michael and Mei (who _wasn't_ in a dress) had become somewhat acquainted, even though Michael was much younger than her, and they hid behind the couch together. The rest of the guests, who were all fully grown adults, had to make do with any little space they found in the dark, and they gave Mei a torch to avoid triggering her nyctophobia. Even Jim and Jennifer made it just before Ash did, albeit barely on time since Shorter and Ash had been at the diner, and they had to come up with an excuse to close early. 

After what felt like forever (Ash and Shorter were chatting, so they walked _slow_ ), the front door was pushed open, and Shorter and Ash waltzed in.

 _ **"Surprise!** "_ The guests cheered, causing Mei to jump on Eiji. Somehow she didn't think they'd be _that_ loud. Ash was completely taken aback by the surprise- usually he was sharp and knew when someone was planning something, so Eiji was extra careful with this party. He even made Max park his car further away so Ash wouldn't see it. Meanwhile, Ash recognised how difficult it must have been to invite guests and decorate the house, and he was extremely thankful for Eiji, who brought light into his life. The first thing he decided to do after greeting everyone was to approach Eiji and Mei, who he lightly squeezed in a gentle hug. Ash wasn't always so sentimental, so this was proof he was really happy with the surprise. 

_"Thank you, thank you so much."_

✞———————❖———————✞

"Are you enjoying your birthday, Ash? Eiji did a brilliant job, right?" Griffin asked, leaning on the wall beside Ash and taking a sip from his can of beer. After mingling for a while, everyone was busy playing a game of charades, and Ash had decided to step to the side to watch for a while. They watched Max and Jessica argue over what Mei was trying to show them while playing charades: Jessica assumed the movie _had_ to be _Cinderella_ , there was no doubt about it, but Max was adamant that it was _Star Wars_. He claimed he knew Mei's thinking better than anyone, whereas Jessica thought she did because they were both girls.

Michael groaned and stood up, tired of his parents being annoying, before taking a deep breath. "It's _THE RING!_ THE ONE WITH THE GIRL IN THE TV AND HER HAIR IS ALL MESSY!" He tried to mimic the antagonist of the horror film, crawling as if his body was twisted and mutilated. It was quite disturbing.

Jessica turned to Max, a fire ignited in her eyes. One look into them could probably burn. "When did you watch _The Ring_ , son? Did your _good old dad_ let you?" Her words sounded sweet but they were dripping with anger. 

"H-Hey! Before you get all mad at me, it was _his_ choice! He wanted to watch it, not me!" Max frowned, failing to defend himself as Jessica appeared far from forgiving. 

Griffin and Ash chuckled simultaneously, the same kind of laugh that stems from a heartwarming memory. They realised they were feeling the same way and turned to each other. 

"I missed this, you know." Griffin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Spending quality time with my little brother and my best friend, it makes me happy. It was lonely here, I'm glad you came." 

"Really? We also made it ten times louder, you'll get tired of it eventually." Ash smirked, pushing himself off the wall. "I guess it's nice to be here too." Of course, he was really downplaying his happiness with this statement, Ash felt much happier away from the bustling city and with the people he loved. 

Before their conversation could continue, Eiji opened the door to the kitchen, beckoning Michael and Mei over in the most obvious way he could, despite trying his hardest to be discreet. "Psst! Michael, Mei- _chan!_ Psst! Over here!" He then made eye contact with Shorter and stuck his thumb up, as if signalling something. 

"What's he up to?" Ash raised an eyebrow, and almost choked on his drink when Shorter stood on the couch and started... beatboxing? He wasn't bad at it, it just seemed a bit out of place at a birthday party. Then the singing began. Were they seriously singing 'happy birthday' to Shorter's beatboxing? Ash honestly didn't expect any less from them, especially from Shorter, but it made him smile. 

As Ash was about to blow out the candles, Jennifer stopped him. "Wait! You should make a wish first, you only get these once a year." 

A wish? Ash wasn't used to having birthday parties and cakes like this, so he never really thought about making birthday wishes. In fact, he couldn't really think of anything to wish for at the moment- he had everything. His family and his friends were with him, and he was finally able to be happy, what more could he want? He closed his eyes and blew the candles out.

"What did you wish for, Ash?" Michael asked, beaming.

"I can't tell you, or it won't come true." Ash ruffled his hair. "But it's very important, so I hope it does." He smiled fondly at Eiji, who returned a smile filled with even more affection. 

"Try some of the cake, Mei and I made it, but the buttercream was _all_ Mei." Griffin started cutting the cake into equal slices; since he'd decorated it, he knew exactly how to cut it while ensuring it still looked pretty. Mei watched closely as Ash took a bite of the cake, observing his reaction. It wasn't exactly what she expected though...

Ash clamped a hand over his mouth and swallowed the cake, his eyes filling with tears. Was he going to cry about how amazing it tasted? How he could feel the love in the sponge? How they did a great job and should be prou-

_**"How much sugar did you put in this thing?! It tastes like fucking diabetes!"** _

"Ash!" Eiji hissed, glancing worriedly at Michael who luckily didn't seem to notice, and then at Mei who was smirking from ear-to-ear. "That's a dollar to the cuss jar, Ash." Eiji sighed. He already knew that the buttercream was too sweet from when he tasted that tiny bit earlier, so he asked Jim and Jennifer to bring some ice cream to substitute for cake. Eiji knew that if he mentioned it was too sweet earlier, Mei could panic and stress about redoing the cake, and there wasn't enough time for that. Unfortunately, Ash took a bite too big to conceal the sickeningly sweet flavour of the buttercream. 

“Well… I put in how much the recipe said but it wasn’t enough, so I added more, but Uncle Griff scared me so I put in about… half a bag?” Mei gasped. “Maybe that was a _tiny bit_ too much... Uncle Griff! The cake’s too sweet now, ‘cause you scared me!” She pointed an accusing finger at poor Griffin, who held his hands up in surrender. 

"Don't worry, I brought some ice cream straight from the diner, so we still have dessert." Jim interrupted, taking the role of the hero when Eiji was the mastermind behind the plan. "Take a seat, Jennifer and I will serve it, diner-style." 

By the time the ice cream sundaes were ready, it was already dark out. Michael was wide awake solely for the ice cream, but he was ready to go to bed soon, so Max and Jessica were going to take their leave after dessert. Everyone was lounging, a few sitting on dining chairs and the rest sitting on the couch. Ash and Eiji were in the middle of the couch, Mei had squeezed herself between them and her head was resting on Ash's shoulder. 

"Ice cream sundaes for everyone~ Let's get the first one to the star baker, since she _did_ work hard on the buttercream." Jennifer was about to give Mei her sundae, when she realised that Mei wasn't responding. Ash carefully craned his head to the side to look down at her, and gently pat her head. She was fast asleep; perhaps the party was a little too tiring for someone who wasn't used to so much socialisation and playing with little kids. 

"Put her one in the freezer, she can eat it tomorrow." Ash whispered, patting her head softly. He never did things like this, so Eiji watched with a grin, pulling out his phone to take a picture. But Ash noticed this and sent a scowl back at Eiji, his cheeks pink. What? Mei needed to be comfortable if she was sleeping! Eiji just laughed and sat back to enjoy his dessert, feeding Ash his because it was harder to eat with a kid on you.

✞———————❖———————✞

Slowly, the guests began to leave, beginning with Max and Jessica, and then Jim and Jennifer. Shorter was going to stay over, so he went to take a shower, and Griffin was having a beer in the garden, in the cool summer air. In the living room, Mei was now lying comfortably with her head on Ash's lap, while Ash was dozing off himself. Eiji snuck next to Ash on the other side, and Ash wrapped an arm around him as if it was a natural reflex. 

Moments after the trio were all fast asleep, the door burst open. "Are we late for the part- oh?"

Ibe had rushed over to Cape Cod from NYC after his flight was delayed, bringing along with him Sing and Skipper. But it seemed they were too late, as they tiptoed up to Ash, Eiji, and Mei who were all curled up together and fast asleep. Ash was even smiling in his sleep, he must have been having a good dream.

Sing was disappointed that the party was over already, and even more disappointed that Mei was asleep already. They got along, so he was happy to visit her again, but it seemed he'd need to wait a little longer. He slipped out of the room and went to look for Shorter. Meanwhile, Skipper giggled quietly seeing Ash in such an affectionate setting; he'd never seen Ash cuddled up to someone before, and the scene was really sweet to witness. Unlike Sing, he'd never met Mei in person before, and had only heard of her through phone calls with Ash and stories from Sing and Shorter. But seeing that they were getting along was enough for Skip, because it proved that Ash had finally found his happiness. 

Ibe pulled his camera from his bag and quietly snapped a picture of them, smiling like a proud father. He'd watched Eiji and Ash grow closer and he was sad that he couldn't live in America with them. Still, Eiji would be happy to see him in the morning, so for now he decided to quietly go to bed and avoid disturbing them.

_Perhaps he could get the photo framed for them too, to commemorate Ash’s special day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little fluffy one-off chapter was so fun and calming to write ^^ I'll be posting normal chapters again soon, so make the most of how close everyone is right now, because that's not quite the case yet in the actual storyline. I hope this was worthy of an Ash Birthday special!


	4. Okumura-san!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei manages to convince Ash and Eiji (though mainly Eiji) to take her home for a few nights, but she soon realises that, like anyone in the city, they could be the same perverted criminals she was escaping in the first place. The young girl plans to finally leave the nest after resting up, but freedom doesn't come easy for those born wearing shackles.  
> Cayn Fang, a supposedly 'loyal' member of Chinatown's Mafia, is furious that his precious pet, whom he has groomed for as long as he can remember, has disappeared without a trace. Even though she has grown claws, he is adamant to get her back, and will stop at nothing to get his way.

Mei's grip on Eiji was tighter than Ash had initially assumed. Eiji was prepared to do anything and everything to help her, as long as she was comfortable. Mei wanted to know the exact location of Ash and Eiji's apartment, down to the very coordinates, before they even so much as stepped out of the restaurant. Why? Well...

"I don't feel sa-safe at certain coordinates, Okumura- _san_ , please understand my tr-trouble." 

Ash scoffed. How did Eiji fall for that poor excuse of- well- an excuse? The kid was good at using emotion to get her way, that was certain, but her lies needed a little work. How could one feel uncomfortable because of _coordinates_? Her accent had also changed three or so times in the past hour, as if she was switching from being foreign to American. The lynx guessed that she already knew Eiji would sacrifice himself for those in need without question, and this only pissed him off more. How dare she use him like that?

This wasn't the first time in the last few hours she had done this too, Mei was completely draining Eiji of energy with all her random demands that she claimed somehow affected her health. At this point, it felt like she was merely testing how far Eiji would go.

"C-Can you give me a jacket with exactly four buttons? More than that gives me flashbacks..." 

"I don't do hugs, but could- could we maybe touch elbows instead?"

"For comfort reasons, I need your phone for at least six hours a day... is that OK, Okumura- _san_?"

"I only eat food from sealed packaging, or my immune system suffers... please consider my health concerns, Okumura- _san_..."

If Ash heard Mei say 'Okumura- _san_ ' one more time, he would have kicked the kid out of the restaurant without hesitation. In his eyes, she was a pitiful animal begging for scraps, but to Eiji she was a traumatised baby looking for comfort and support. The two clearly were never going to see eye-to-eye when it came to Mei. What _fun_ the next night or two in their tiny apartment would be. Ash was _overjoyed_.

✞———————❖———————✞

By the time the trio arrived at the said apartment, it was approaching dinnertime. Due to Mei’s reluctance to eat anything that didn’t come in sealed packaging, much to Ash’s disappointment, they couldn’t stay with Shorter for dinner. After all, Eiji wouldn’t let Mei eat anything that could harm her while she was healing. Somehow, Mei also ended up having a coat with four buttons folded over her arm. Where did that come from?

Pushing open the door to the apartment, Ash let Eiji and Mei in first, not before he sent a scowl in Mei’s direction. She smirked in return, causing him to close the door a little more aggressively than intended. Ash cleared his throat. “You take the couch. It’s pretty small, but so are you, pipsqueak.” Did he do that to piss her off? Perhaps. After all, even a mighty lynx would like to have fun sometimes.

"Let her take the bed, it's only a couple of days." Eiji intervened. "We'll be fine in the living room, right?" Cuddles on the couch sounded fun to Eiji, so he didn't mind it. Ash on the other hand wasn't so happy about the arrangement. First they take in a street cat, then they give her all the nice stuff? While Eiji may have been very willing to give up his comfort to help a random kid, Ash wasn't willing _at all._

After some awkward silence, Eiji spoke once more. “But first, we should eat dinner! I think I have a sealed salad in the fridge, is that OK with you, Z?” Eiji was as ecstatic as a child in a sweet shop when it came to dinner. It felt nice to prepare dinner for a guest too, especially someone as _lovely_ as Mei was. He hoped the dinner together might finally put a smile on her face, because she had been frowning all day. Also, he was pretty hungry himself, since they missed out on lunch.

Mei didn’t respond to Eiji, her gaze fixated on their couch. It looked so warm, so comfortable- the perfect size for her tired body. If anything, it would probably be better for her to sleep on the couch. She had easier access to the front door, just in case she needed it. 

“…Z? Would you like to sleep? I can prepare the bed, Ash- Aslan and I can sleep here for now,” Eiji offered, resting a hand on Z’s shoulder. He cringed at his own mistake, hoping Ash wouldn't have noticed it, but of course he did. Luckily, Mei seemed too tired to give it any thought. 

The small girl shook her head and yawned. There was no need for her to confine herself to their room, when she still wasn't completely confident about being in their home. Just to show them that she was definitely fine with sleeping on the couch, she allowed herself to curl up on the couch and close her eyes. Without a word, she let herself rest; she needed it more than anything. 

If anything were to go wrong, she had a trump card tucked into her sock, so she could rest easy.

✞———————❖———————✞

The next couple of days were a blur of sleeping, packing and nibbling on food. Mei still wasn't eating anything that didn't come out of sealed packaging, and Ash was surprised to find a pocket knife hidden away in her socks; however, she was talking to Eiji more which was at least one improvement amongst some not-so-good moments. Something still felt off about Ash, and she was annoyed by the fact he took her knife, so her guard remained up and armed around him. But Eiji? Eiji seemed to be the most innocent person she'd met so far, she couldn't even imagine him hurting a fly. He even convinced her to help them pack for Cape Cod, where they were planning to move to within the next few days, as soon as they found Mei a place to stay. 

It was approaching her third night with them when Mei felt a sudden wave of anxiety. It woke her from her delusion that she'd found a safe place. A safe place? In this world? What was she thinking? At any given moment, the men who took her in and fed her could betray her; they could abuse her or sell her or kill her, because no matter how she looked at it, they were stronger than her. Perhaps they were the same as the gang she fled from; maybe they were 'into' little kids too, maybe they were prepared to pay thousands for a night with a defenseless child. Mei didn't know them well enough for that to be impossible, which only frightened her more. 

Mei snuck to the kitchen door, pressing her ear against it to see if the couple were still cooking dinner. If so, that would give her a fifteen minute window to get her ass out of that apartment without being noticed, then she could run as far as she wanted, they’d never catch her. 

"That box is the food I bought for Z-"

"Eiji, you're not seriously buying the sealed food stuff right? It has nothing to do with her immune system, and it's costing us double what dinner usually costs!" Ash wasn't trying to be mean or harsh, he was concerned about how much control Mei had over Eiji. If Mei were to cause harm, if they were ever forced to get rid of her, it would hurt Eiji, and Ash didn't want to take that chance.

"Of course I'm not," Eiji chuckled, chopping some vegetables so they could get started on their own dinner. "But she's afraid, we want her to be comfortable, don't we?"

"I know, but..." The voices trailed off as Mei made her way to the front door. She had Eiji's jumper on, which was perfect if the warm night took a colder turn. There were at least ten minutes remaining to run as far away as possible, but first she needed to figure out _where_ she would go. 

On her way out of the apartment building, she nodded slightly at the receptionist who tended to stick around until the early hours of the morning, so he could help any drunk residents back to their apartments. He looked at her, puzzled, but didn't question where she was going. It wasn't his business anyway. 

Mei pondered over her options. If she took a left, Ash or Eiji could see her from an apartment window, but she wasn't familiar with the route to the right. She needed to think fast, because she believed Eiji would question her whereabouts soon. Perhaps it wasn't a wise idea, but Mei decided to ask the receptionist about where to go. 

"Excuse me, do you- uh- do you know if I should go left or right? I want to go to a place with a lot of people, like uh- maybe- Times Square?"

"Times Square, huh? It's quite a walk, but it's to the right from here, go ahead a few blocks and you'll start seeing signs. It's getting dark out though, are you sure you're fine alone?" The receptionist looked concerned. Having a child walk around the city at night didn't seem smart, especially for such a long time with areas that were typically quiet. 

"I'll be fine, thanks," Mei responded quickly before speeding out of the building and to the right. All she needed to do was keep moving forward until she saw the signs. If she could make it somewhere populated, there would be a very slim chance of her being caught by Cayn's gang, who could still be tailing her. They may not have known about where she was staying, but if anyone spotted her, she wouldn't have much of a chance to run. 

So, in order to arrive as soon as possible, Mei walked quickly, because running would draw too much attention. Soon enough, she found herself in a less populated area- in fact, it was practically silent, and the streetlights were dimmer than on the other streets. The only brighter light source was a single convenience store; open, but lifeless. This area was far more unsettling than where Mei had walked before, and she still hadn't seen a sign, so all she knew to do was keep moving forward. 

"Where do ya think you're goin', Missy?" A scarily familiar voice sounded, before she felt a hot hand clamp over her mouth. She was dragged backwards, held close to a much larger body with an arm firmly around her waist. All she could think of doing was biting the hand which silenced her, only to be thrown into a brick wall of an alleyway. 

"Y-You-" Mei stammered, trying to steady herself after a knock to the head. She recognised the voice as belonging to a man from where she used to live, the place she was running from. His boss, Cayn, must have sent him. "How the hell did you find me...?!" 

"Now that would be a secret, kiddo." Though the alley was dark, she could hear the smirk in his tone. She also heard a belt unbuckle. "I was meant to bring ya home in one piece but... he wouldn't notice if I played with ya a little, would he, kitten? After all, it ain't everyday I get somethin' so _expensive_ all to myself!"

✞———————❖———————✞

Meanwhile, in a mansion on the outskirts of New York City, Cayn Fang sat at a mahogany desk, drumming his fingers and rocking on his chair. The past few days had been stressful for him; his $500,000 _pet_ had escaped with no trace, and his men were struggling to locate her. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his long, red locks, before tying them up into a neat ponytail. 

"Something wrong, boss?" 

"It doesn't take a genius to find a child, honestly, what the fuck are they doing?" Cayn groaned, his fierce, dark eyes were on _fire_. As soon as he got his hands on his pet, using whatever method necessary, she would regret the day she even _thought_ _about_ defying him. Despite being filthy rich already, he wasn't prepared to let bids of up to half a million dollars go down the drain because of a measly rat's escape. 


	5. Cayn Fang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the laughing stock of Chinatown's Mafia to the most feared member (and leader) of the Yaoguai Gang, Cayn Fang, born Fang Liu, has built quite the reputation with his wealth and merciless acts. Some say that his gang only exists because the members are too terrified to betray him, however nobody knows the truth aside from a certain young girl, who has been brought up in one of the most feared-but also unknown-gangs in New York City.
> 
> But what caused this gang to rise from the shadows of Chinatown's Mafia, and just what does it take to be a Yaoguai?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short chapter explaining the main antagonist of this story, Cayn's, backstory. There will be more detail about it as the story progresses and as he is introduced into more situations, but for now this is a basic outline of who he is and how he became notorious for being, well, evil.

"You think we're just gonna let a scrawny kid waltz up in here like he owns the place, demand to join us, and then steal all our cash or somethin'? You're already rich, go live with a silver spoon shoved down your throat and stop mockin' us!" 

Fang didn't know what to expect when he ran away from home in the middle of the night to join Chinatown's Mafia. He was barely fourteen years old at the time and had even decided on a name change, but to most people he was just rebelling from a strict family. After all, everyone in Chinatown knew about the famous Liu family, who owned at least a fifth of the businesses there as well as others overseas and around America. So why would their only child come knocking at the mafia's door, when he could easily live a life of luxury instead? Why would he purposely put his life in danger?

"Listen, I know you know my family, and I frankly don't know much about you. But let me explain! I hate being the stuck-up brat you see me as, it's so boring! I want to change, to throw that all away and join you. I don't want to be Fang Liu, I want to be Cayn Fang. Can't you give me a chance? I promise I'll be of use to you, please?"

His begging fell to deaf ears, aside from one pair. A young woman, holding a sleeping baby, pushed past the crowd that had gathered at the old house's front door. Before Shorter Wong, the leader of Chinatown's Mafia was far stricter and harsher, so they were prepared to attack if Cayn didn't give up soon. But this woman, who was clearly high on something, was different. He could tell that much about her by her demeanour and the baby in her shaking arms.

"What's with the shouting? You're gonna wake Mei up, and then you'll have a bigger problem to deal with: me." She laughed casually before glancing at Cayn, who was cowering in the doorway. "Oi, kid, what're you doing here this late? Come in, sleep in Mei's room." 

✞———————❖———————✞

The woman, who introduced herself as Lian, was only the beginning of Cayn's sudden surge of power within the mafia. Lian was well respected by the twelve members of that group, three of which being Lian, her boyfriend and their daughter, Mei. So, the fact she let Cayn in so easily meant that the others were less wary of him. The group were part of Chinatown's Mafia, but they were closer to each other than to anyone else. This group was often asked to do more dangerous jobs that the boss could only had over to trusted members of the mafia, but they also had their own doubts about his leadership skills, and their loyalty was wavering.

These doubts were exactly what Cayn needed to manipulate the group into believing that he was the leader they didn't realise they needed. 

At first, all Cayn needed to do was talk to them. Lian agreed with whatever he said, which made the others more likely to agree with him too. Since she played an important and influential role in the group, her approval meant general approval.

It didn't take long for Cayn to suggest that they were strong enough to break of and become their own secretive gang, which Lian was quick to compliment. They would be a seperate gang, but act as if they were still part of Chinatown's Mafia, so they still had many allies and less enemies. While they agreed to this idea, the only condition was that Cayn was to deal with the organisation of this gang, and how it would come to power without being caught. Thankfully, he had his parents' wealth to lean on.

Cayn's parents never really looked for him after he ran away, because he still contacted them through his phone. However, all he called them for was money or goods, and his pushover parents were quick to give him anything he wanted. If Cayn asked for thousands of dollars, he'd have it within a day. If Cayn asked for a car, his father would choose the best one in the market. If Cayn asked to take their current mansion, well- that was one thing his parents refused to hand over. 

So he stole it himself.

✞———————❖———————✞

A week after Cayn was refused his parents' home, a massive home with ten bedrooms, as well as recreational rooms and a giant kitchen, he turned up at home as if he returned for good, ready to move in. His parents were overjoyed: they knew he'd come home, but this was earlier than expected, which was all the better for them. They planned to spend the evening with him, asking him what he was up to, and checking if he was hurt or sick. 

But they didn't make it long enough for this to happen.

Without a thought, Cayn slaughtered his parents using a cleaver, before burying them in the field that was their garden. He turned their grave into a flower bed, and allowed his new gang (which he chose to call Yaoguai, after Chinese demons) to live there alongside him. His parents' wealth was suddenly all his, and their home was the perfect place for business and living to merge into one. Cayn soon became even more influential than Lian, but she didn't mind, because the boy was showing serious leadership skills. Every week he managed to recruit more members of Chinatown's Mafia to join them, and vowed that one day they'd be large enough to overthrow the mafia altogether.

It hadn't been long after they settled in when Cayn's luck ran dry. Lian was found dead in her room, empty packets which once contained drugs were scattered around her and her baby was desperately crying for her mother's warmth. But what warmth could a cold corpse provide?

All that time, Cayn thought he'd built the gang up by himself, but he soon came to realise that Lian's input was greatly needed. He didn't begin selling children and drugs overnight; a lot of planning needed to take place. Also, Mei's father was trying to escape with his daughter, though Cayn insisted that they had no choice but to stay; no one was allowed to back out. At first he barely coped without Lian around, but soon enough, he had control once again.

After all, with someone as clever and merciless as Cayn, evil was bound to prevail.


	6. I Need to Tell You the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A frightening event leads Mei to realise that she needed to have more faith in Ash and Eiji, whether she liked it or not. Anyone was better than Cayn and his gang. Eiji begins to see the effects of going through trauma at a young age through Mei, and also imagines that Ash must have suffered the same way. This causes him to only want to protect her more.  
> Perhaps Mei was going to become a more permanent part of their life than they assumed.

A gunshot and the clatter of metal on concrete hauled Mei from the horrified daze she was confined in as the brute abused her. Footsteps sounded and it seemed as if the perpetrator was fleeing, with someone else chasing close behind. A hand on her shoulder caused her body to jerk with fear, slamming her back into the wall behind her. 

"Don't touch me! _Don't touch me! **DON'T TOUCH ME!**_ " Mei cried repeatedly, clutching her head in pain and dread. The hand was hurriedly withdrawn, and the person stepped backwards to the opposite wall of the alleyway. 

Eiji didn't know what to do. She was clearly extremely distressed; her clothes were tattered and her body bruised, it was obvious what had occurred before he and Ash arrived. As Ash chased down the disgusting man, not intending to let him get away with it, Eiji was left to console Mei, who appeared far from consolable. Truthfully, he thought it'd be impossible to help her, not when she was in such a worked-up state, but he couldn't just give up on her. 

"Z, hey, it's over now," Eiji spoke in a hushed tone, though it was hard for Mei to pick up on his voice over her own sobs. "Z, please! Come back to us, you can get out of that dark place!" Another gunshot startled both Eiji and Mei, and Mei glanced up at Eiji, worry in her eyes.

Ash jogged back to the pair, wearing a grim expression. He tucked his gun into his jeans before squatting in front of Mei, his hands up to show he wasn't planning on harming her. "Hey, listen to me," His voice was firm, but not harsh. "We need to leave. Right now. If that guy's friends don't come, the police will, and we don't want to be here when that happens. Can you stand?"

Mei weakly lifted herself, using the wall behind her as support, but her legs trembled beneath her. Walking back to the apartment would be difficult alone, and Eiji could see that she would need some kind of support. 

"I'm going to put my arm around your shoulders to help you walk, OK? You can lean on me too, I won't touch you anywhere but your shoulders. Is this OK with you?" Eiji asked, his voice clear and gentle. Only when he had Mei's permission would he go ahead and support her. 

It took Mei some time to decide if she was comfortable with this; her head was spinning and her thoughts were all over the place, but eventually she nodded slightly and mumbled a practically silent "yeah".

Eiji slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, waiting for her to do the same to him. When she did, her grip was tight, but her hand was trembling so much that it moved Eiji to tears. Ash led the way, and they retraced their steps back to the apartment building. Thankfully, Mei hadn't made it too far before being caught, so the journey back was fairly short. As they slowly escorted the terrified girl home, travelling at a pace comfortable for her, Eiji noticed her bow her head from the corner of his eye. 

He would never forget seeing the tears that trickled down her bruised cheek, illuminated by the dim streetlights; the dullness of her eyes, as if even the slightest glimmer of hope had been snatched from her, reducing her to merely an empty and damaged vessel. 

✞———————❖———————✞

"Are you OK with me tending to your wounds? You have a few cuts I'd like to treat." Mei was sat on the couch, her hands balled into fists as if she was trying to suppress her emotions and the pain caused by that harrowing experience. Eiji was beside her, his movements slow and calculated, while Ash was finding the first aid kit in the kitchen. Ash was more affected by this than he let on, there was something so familiar about the look of dread in Mei's eyes. It was as if she was traumatised, but she was also accustomed to feeling this way. Mei gave Eiji a nod of approval, seemingly calmer now, so Eiji began to dress any cuts as soon as Ash handed him the kit.

"Who was he?" Ash asked, sitting on the floor. "Did you know him?"

All the energy she used to suppress her pain had almost gone to waste. As soon as Ash mentioned who the man was, Mei remembered just how dire her situation was. _Stay calm, Mei, this is no time for you to be all emotional._ Mei was hard on herself, but she needed to be to survive in a world like theirs. But why were they being so _kind_ to her? To a _street rat_ who crashed their peaceful lives and ruined it all? 

"I need- I need to tell you the truth first." Mei mumbled, but her intentions were clear. Both Ash and Eiji realised that Mei was finally ready to open up, at least a little bit. "My name- my _real_ name- is Mei Zhang. And-"

But Mei never had the chance to finish, because Ash didn't let her. He wasn't completely fond of her yet, and he didn't know if he could trust her, but what he _did_ know was that the girl he was speaking to was not the same girl they'd met in Chang Dai. This girl was merely a soulless being, and having her speak further would be the equivalent of watching her being physically tortured over already open wounds. 

"You don't have to remember it all now," Ash interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder before standing up. "I'm sorry we weren't there sooner." The blonde didn't show it, but he felt guilty seeing Mei so _broken_ in their living room, especially knowing it could have been prevented if he was a little faster, or if he'd kept an eye on her. 

Mei sighed softly and averted her gaze down to her scruffy black converses. She felt the need to rest, but also despised the very idea of being alone; it didn't matter if the apartment was safe, even if it had the best security system available. Even if there was an army of guards outside, Mei was stuck knowing she would _never_ feel safe. 

Luckily, Eiji had assumed this from the moment they stepped into the apartment, and had been thinking about how to handle the situation delicately. "Mei- _chan_ , why don't you use the shower? I'll wait outside for you, and I'll grab you some fresh clothes." 

✞———————❖———————✞

Whilst Mei showered, Ash picked out something comfortable for Mei to wear. Since she was small, anything they had would probably be at least slightly oversized on her, which was for the best considering tight clothes would probably cause her to feel uncomfortable. He assumed Eiji would help him look for something, especially since he wasn't exactly experienced in looking after kids, but Eiji was nowhere to be seen. After picking out a cosy hoodie (which was actually Griffin's), Ash peered out into the hallway and frowned. 

Eiji was leaning against the bathroom door, and Ash could hear that the shower was still running. But what Ash _couldn't_ hear was Mei's pained sobs. They were so loud that they rang clearly for Eiji, despite the shower making noise which Mei assumed would conceal the sound. Eiji was crying silently, tears spilling down his cheeks like they did the day Ash was framed for Marvin's murder. He felt so much empathy towards Mei that he too carried pain, as if trying to share the load with her. He knew he couldn't take the pain away, at least not easily, but he would do whatever he could to try. 

Ash hated seeing Eiji so upset. He knew why he was upset, and this only made him admire Eiji more, but the way it affected him was so heartbreaking. Gently, he wrapped one arm around Eiji, the other carefully pressing his boyfriend's head to his shoulder. Eiji returned the hug, gripping onto the back of Ash's signature denim jacket. "We'll look after her, she'll be fine," Ash reassured Eiji, tenderly stroking his head as his sobs died down. Now that he was closer to Eiji, Ash could hear Mei too, and he decided the best idea would be to usher Eiji away from there. 

But Eiji stood his ground, shaking his head and wiping his eyes with his hands. "No, I told her I would stay with her. I can't leave her now." 

"Fine, but don't you need to get ready for bed?" 

"Do you really think I'm going to sleep?"

Before Ash could respond, to try and convince Eiji to get some rest, the shower turned off. The bathroom door opened a crack so Ash could pass the hoodie in, and then the couple were alone again. Ash wasn't particularly fond with the idea of Eiji not sleeping enough, since it wasn't healthy, but he knew he couldn't help it. If Eiji had something to worry about, nothing would change that until that issue was resolved. So Ash had to resolve this one. But how?

They couldn't go to Chinatown to stay until they moved to Cape Cod, and they couldn't just send Mei either, because the man who had initially chased her was supposedly based around there. The only other choice Ash could think of was moving early, despite not really wanting to. He wanted to spend a little longer in NYC, just so Eiji could experience more before they left, but if Mei was caught already despite the fact she could have been anywhere in the city, there could have been people watching them. Eiji couldn't be put in danger again, not after the mess with Dino. 

"I'll make a couple calls, and we'll leave for Cape Cod tomorrow morning. But we need to finish packing tonight." Ash lowered his voice, so Mei wouldn't hear. 

Eiji nodded, a look of determination in his eyes. This was very reminiscent of that one prison visit, which made Ash chuckle lightly to himself as he left to make the arrangements. Meanwhile, Eiji tilted his head, wondering what Ash was laughing at, before he was distracted by Mei lightly tapping his arm. While Ash arranged their ride to Cape Cod and informed Shorter of their early departure, Eiji tucked Mei into their bed, which made her look even more tiny and fragile than she looked already. The hoodie covered them, but Eiji couldn't help thinking of all the cuts and bruises she had on her- old and new. Was this how Ash used to live too? 

"Goodnight, Mei- _chan_... I hope we can save you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My motivation to write this has come back even stronger than before, so there will be a lot more adventures with our favourite Banana Fish characters and Mei :) I'm also thinking about a Halloween special because everyone likes a bit of Halloween fun, right?  
> (Also, pumpkins.)
> 
> I'm also planning on rewriting the short chapter about our 'lovely' antagonist, Cayn, because I'm not too happy about how it turned out, but I'll let you know when I have in the notes of a chapter. Thank you for reading! :)


	7. Old Man!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter about how Mei wakes up to a packed apartment, as Ash and Eiji prepare for them to leave. What surprise guest will Mei meet, and will they get along on the long road trip?
> 
> The next chapter will be a Halloween special and then it will continue with the roadtrip to Cape Cod!

_"After all, it ain't every day I get somethin' so expensive all to myself!"_

Mei sat up abruptly, shoving the bedsheets off of her and pulling her knees to her chest, as if protecting herself. It took her a moment to register where she was, and what had happened since the previous evening. Mei was in Ash and Eiji's room- or _Aslan_ , since she didn't know that he went by Ash yet- and if she looked outside, she would see the lively streets of Manhattan. According to the clock on the wall, it was nine o'clock in the morning. Would Aslan or Eiji be awake? Wait- what was she thinking, acting as if she was close with those strangers? Sure, they rescued her the night before, but still...

Maybe she could at least look for Eiji.

The wooden floor was cool to touch, despite the weather being warm since it was the middle of summer. Sneaking out of the room, she wondered how Ash and Eiji managed to sleep on the couch, if they did at all. She fit on there fine, but they were both much bigger than her, so it must have been a tight squeeze.

"Mei- _chan_!" 

Eiji's sudden appearance startled Mei, who grabbed the nearest object that could have posed as a weapon. Since everything had been packed though, all she had was... a feather duster? Despite how fluffy and soft it was, she pointed it at Eiji as if it were a sword. 

"Hey now, that's dangerous, Mei- _chan_ ," Eiji held his hands up in surrender, chuckling. "I can call you that, right?"

Mei pouted and dropped the duster, taking a deep breath to calm racing heart. When Eiji mentioned the nickname, her first thought was to discourage them from calling her nicknames. After all, she didn't think it was wise to become close to them, because she could leave at any given moment. But the name was cute, and Eiji seemed comfortable calling her that- happy, even. One name wouldn't hurt, right? She nodded slightly, which earned a smile from Eiji.

"Good! Now, how about putting that duster to good use?"

"No, thank you." Mei rolled her eyes. She wasn't a maid.

"Are you sure? How about you watch me instead? Follow me, but stay quiet, OK?" Eiji turned on his heel and snuck into the living room. It looked like he was planning something, and Mei had no idea what it could be. What was exciting about cleaning? Was he trying to make it look fun to convince her to do it instead? If so, it wasn't going to work. 

What Mei certainly didn't expect was to see Ash fast asleep on the couch, half of his body hanging off in a very uncomfortable position, whilst Eiji started _dusting his face_ with the same feather duster she once used as a sword.

"Ash! _Okite_! We need to get ready!" Eiji raised the feather duster and lightly smacked Ash over the head with it. " **Ash!** " Mei decided to stay out of the situation, but snickered from the side at Ash's grumpy demeanour as he allowed himself to flop off the couch and onto the floor. Eiji only continued the relentless feather duster attack until Ash was bothered enough to grab it, pulling it out of Eiji's hands with ease and sitting up. 

Wait, Ash? Who was Ash? Mei only knew the blonde as Aslan- Aslan Callenreese. Mei ruled it as a nickname, he couldn't have been the person she was thinking of. 

Ash yawned and stood up, stretching. His body was somewhat sore from the few hours of sleep he managed to get, but hopefully he'd be able to catch up on it during the four hour journey to Cape Cod that morning. 

✞———————❖———————✞

The trio only had an hour to get ready before there was a knock on the door. Shorter had visited earlier with a special delivery of his famous Chinese breakfast, though Mei didn't eat since she didn't trust it. Ash, Eiji, and Shorter were still eating, so Mei cautiously answered the door. Opening it without releasing the door chain, she peered out at an unfamiliar middle-aged man, who looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. Mei scoffed. Cayn was sending the buyers straight to the product? What a lazy asshole. 

"I'm not for sale anymore, old man. Go force your perverted fantasies on someone your own age." 

Shocked and clearly offended, the man was quick to defend himself. "That's- What makes you think I'm a pervert?! I woke up early for this, and I'm exhausted, the least you could do is-"

"You know what makes me sicker than pedophiles do? Pedophiles who try to defend themselves. Fuck off!"

"You know what, kid? I will. Tell that brat I said I regret coming down here to-"

"NO! Wait!" That was Eiji, who scrambled over after hearing Mei swear and almost choking on his breakfast. He unfastened the door chain, causing Mei to step back to avoid a door to the face. "Mei- _chan_ , don't say those things!"

"But why? Look at him, he _obviously_ came to-"

" _He_ is Ash's father!" Eiji intervened quickly before she could insult the poor man any further. Mei peered up at the man, who scowled back at her. "Can you apologise, please?" An awkward journey was the last thing they wanted.

"Sorry, old man," Mei mumbled, equally stubborn and embarrassed. Clearly, Ash hadn't told him about her yet, meaning he had a very unfortunate first impression of her.

"It's Jim. I'm not _old_ , either, kid. You're just a _baby_."

Meanwhile, Ash had left the kitchen with Shorter to see what the commotion was about. He was leaning against a wall and grinning; the scene unfolding before them was comedic gold. Jim noticed him and scowled, grabbing a box which was beside the door. 

"You're lucky I'm not leaving you here. Hurry up."

On that note, the trio said their goodbyes to Shorter, and handed their keys over to the receptionist. They had a long journey ahead of them, but the destination was worth the wait!


End file.
